A Washington woman was sentenced to more than three decades in prison after admitting her 8-year-old adopted daughter died from abuse and starvation in 2022 and that she and her boyfriend kept the child’s remains for months before driving a coffin in a rented U-Haul trailer across several states, authorities said.
The case centered on Meela Miller, an 8-year-old who prosecutors said was severely malnourished and weighed 26 pounds when she died in September 2022. Investigators said Mandie Miller and Aleksander Kurmoyarov did not immediately report the death and later tried to arrange a burial in South Dakota without the paperwork required for a funeral. The unusual cross-country trip, the condition of the child and surveillance footage described by authorities turned the case into a high-profile example of child abuse and the challenges of detecting violence behind closed doors.
Mandie Miller, 36, learned her sentence in Spokane County Superior Court after pleading guilty to homicide by abuse, assault of a child and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, according to accounts of the hearing. The sentence totaled 388 months, or 32 years and four months. A judge imposed the term after reviewing case records and hearing statements about Meela’s short life and the injuries and deprivation prosecutors said she endured. In court, Miller acknowledged responsibility as part of her plea, while relatives described grief and anger over a child who, they said, had been isolated and controlled in the months before her death.
Authorities said Meela was Miller’s adopted daughter and also her niece, and that she lived in the Spokane area with Miller and Kurmoyarov. Investigators said the couple restricted the child’s movements, used physical punishment and withheld food, leaving her fragile and underweight. Prosecutors said the abuse was captured at times on a home surveillance system, which investigators later reviewed as part of the case. The footage and other records, authorities said, helped them document a pattern rather than a single moment of violence. Officials also said the child’s condition was so extreme that it became a defining fact in the prosecution and at sentencing.
The case took an unusual turn months after Meela’s death. Authorities said Miller and Kurmoyarov kept Meela’s remains in their home for about three months, later telling investigators they wanted “more time with her.” In December 2022, investigators said, they rented a U-Haul and placed a coffin containing the child inside the trailer, then drove roughly 1,100 miles from Spokane to Mitchell, South Dakota. The trip ended when people at a funeral home became alarmed, authorities said, because the couple lacked the documentation typically required to proceed with burial services. A report to local law enforcement led deputies to the trailer and the discovery of the coffin.
Officials said the discovery triggered a multi-agency investigation that stretched across state lines and required coordination between Washington and South Dakota authorities. Prosecutors said early charges focused on the failure to report a death, then expanded as investigators gathered evidence about the child’s injuries and living conditions. The case later moved into plea negotiations that produced guilty pleas from both defendants. Mandie Miller’s plea covered the homicide-by-abuse count, along with the assault and unlawful-imprisonment counts, and some allegations included domestic violence enhancements, according to case summaries released afterward.
Kurmoyarov, 31, also pleaded guilty in the case, according to reports of court filings and hearing summaries. He admitted to second-degree murder and was expected to be sentenced at a later date. Prosecutors said his role included participating in the abuse and in the decisions made after the child died, including the months-long delay before any report to authorities. The sentencing schedule for Kurmoyarov and the exact terms of his plea were still central questions as the court process continued. Officials said the investigation remains active in the sense that prosecutors must still finalize judgments, restitution issues and any related orders tied to the pleas.
At sentencing, the judge described the conduct as among the most serious violations of trust a caregiver can commit, according to accounts of the hearing. Family members spoke about Meela’s life and the harm they said she suffered, describing a child who should have been protected but instead faced control and deprivation. Mandie Miller also addressed the court, expressing remorse as she accepted the sentence, according to reports. The hearing ended with the judge imposing a longer term than prosecutors had requested, reflecting the court’s view of the severity and the vulnerability of the victim.
The case also raised questions about how abuse can escalate in isolation, and how warning signs may be missed or misunderstood. Authorities pointed to the use of surveillance recordings, medical findings and witness interviews as key pieces of evidence in reconstructing Meela’s final months. Investigators also focused on the steps taken after her death, saying the effort to move the coffin across state lines showed planning and a desire to avoid scrutiny. Those actions, officials said, complicated the recovery of evidence and prolonged uncertainty for relatives who did not know what had happened to the child.
Mandie Miller was remanded to state custody after sentencing, and prosecutors said they will continue working through the remaining court steps in Kurmoyarov’s case, including a sentencing hearing expected later this year. For now, the legal record reflects a child’s death, a cross-country trip that drew a funeral home’s concern, and a prison sentence that will keep one defendant behind bars into middle age, with the second defendant still awaiting final judgment.
Author note: Last updated February 10, 2026.